Prize of Equality
by Marie Nomad
Summary: Ev copes with a loss that happened that forced him to quit Generation X.


This is a theory on what happened to Ev. Contains minor March spoilers for Generation X. All characters belong to Marvel Comics. Except for John who belongs to me. 

Prize of Equality By Maria Cline 

It was pouring as the young man stared out of the window. "Damn rain." he muttered, as he wheeled away from the window. Before six months ago, he loved walking in the rain when it was warm out. The cool water pittered and pattered on the umbrella as he strolled down the street. He even sang 'Singing in the Rain' while twirling his umbrella around, despite the fact that he didn't know all of the lyrics. Now, he couldn't do that any more. Holding an umbrella while maneuvering a wheelchair is next to impossible for him now. 

He picked up another letter from Monet. As usual she was begging for a letter back. He couldn't write back. He folded the letter carefully and placed it on the drawer in the Monet pile. There were separate stacks of letters from each person. Leech and Artie's 'letters' consists of pictures and some crayon scribbles. There were e-mail printouts from Angelo and even a few from Jubilee. Things had worsened between them. He had admitted his love to Monet and Jubilee had done nothing. 

He sighed as he went to his bed. The scars still ached from what happened. His arms were tense from the constant use of the wheelchair and his lower half of his body felt like nothing was there. His legs just lay there like deadwood. He put his hand on his leg to feel nothing. 

Everything had gone wrong when everyone lost their powers. Artie and Leech looked unrecognizable and Artie actually missed his pictures. However, Jono had his face back and Penance was able to be touched again. 

Still, it was strange and frightening. Ev had the easiest time adjusting since he was the most normal mutant there. He was used to being 'powerless' since he had to be around mutants constantly to copy their powers. 

Just when they had adjusted to living without powers, their powers returned in a devastating way. Jubilee was outside when she literally flared with pyrotechnic energy. Jono exploded with psychic energies. The destructive blasts caused everyone to panic. The human students screamed as Jubilee's fingers lit up and she started to blast the lawn. Jono was yelling telepathically, **Not again!** 

Ev synched with Monet and they flew out to calm the two deadly mutants. Jubilee's rage fueled her powers. Leech came close to her and shut off her powers. Fortunately, Jono was able to control his blasts again. He was kneeling on the ground, trying to cry. 

Ev remembered unsynching with Monet to comfort Jono and Jubilee. Then, he remembered Penny and Angelo. They were inside. He ran inside to see a group of humans attacking Angelo and Penance. Penance was slashing at the hastily made clubs while making sure the attackers were unharmed. Angelo and Artie were holding each other. Angelo was absorbing any thing Penance missed. 

"Leave them alone!" he remember yelling as he jumped in with flying fists. He synched with Angelo and wrapped his arms around the attackers. He heard the various cries of, "Mutie!" "Him?!" "Oh god!" "Awesome! Ow!" 

That was when he felt a sudden coldness in his back. He screamed as the pain settled in. He looked up to see the students gasping in shock as they stepped back. He looked up to see a student standing there in shock. He could recall every feature of that boy's face. The boy stood there with his jaw dropped and his eyes almost blank. Ev looked away. Everything seemed to go into slow motion as Emma Frost ran in and stood there almost shocked. He heard a scream behind him as he saw a hand fell beside him with a blood stained dagger in it. 

Monet flew in and he lay back fighting the pain. He looked up to see Monet's scared expression. In all the time he knew her, he had never saw that look in her eyes. "Ev. Don't die on me." She said in a tone of voice that he had never heard her speak. Everything went dark as he heard a Monet screaming at him to hang on. He wished he could do that. 

He opened his eyes as he looked around. He was lying on the med. lab bed. He sighed in relief when he realized he was alive. "Thank god." He muttered as he looked up to see Emma, Sean, Dr. McCoy, Jubilee, Jono, Angelo, Paige, Leech, Artie, and Monet. Monet was sitting in a chair wearing her uniform that was messed up. Angelo was wearing a sling over his right arm as well as several cuts over his gray skin. Sean had a bandage over the top of his head to indicate that he had a head injury. "You look awful." He commented as he tried to wonder why everyone was staring at him. 

"How do you feel?" Monet asked in a strange soft tone. 

"Fine. I think." He said as he, then he looked down the bed to see his feet. Everything below his waist was numb. He realized that he couldn't move his legs. "My-my legs. I can't- I can't feel my legs." He said blankly as tears came to his eyes. 

"I'm sorry," Dr. McCoy said as he put his hand over Ev's shoulder, "the dagger had managed to rip into the spinal cord and cause your paralysis. You may never walk again." 

Ev's heart stopped in his chest as tears came down his cheeks. "Can't you do something? I mean you're a doctor. Can't you just heal me?" 

"I wish that was the case but I do know some of the best physical therapists who can help you with this. And Dr. Magtaggart and I shall work on a way to help you regain your legs." 

Ev recalled on how Dr. McCoy went on about possible therapies as well as psychratic help. He didn't really listen. All he wanted to do was walk again and to see his attacker pay for what he did. 

Later, the student who stabbed him was punished for attempted murder. He was charged as a child and was given a 90-day jail sentence and a five-year probation. Many people were angry at the fact that Ev's attacker was punished at all. Then Emma, his parents, and Sean told the reporters about his condition and how that Ev wasn't using his powers to harm anyone. In fact, the only ones who were severely injured were the mutants. Ev never did confront the attacker since the attacker wouldn't get close after the trial. 

The school was closed down. Emma gained new finances and she didn't need the human students anymore. For a while he stayed at the school in hopes of finding a way to regain his legs. He tried to synch with Iceman in hopes of using his ice powers to restore his body. Unfortunately, he couldn't do it. Iceman's unique healing capabilities were only temporally as long as he could synch with Iceman. He left the school and returned to his home in St. Louis. 

He couldn't be a member of Generation X anymore, but he knew that he could still be of help. After all, Professor Xavier, the founder of the X-Men, was crippled, yet everyone admired him. Ev wasn't the mentoring type. He was used to being one of the more useful members of Generation X. But watching others staring at him and making him feel so... different is so irritating. Now, he's just a normal cripple teenager. 

He sighed as he stared at his textbooks. An open Algebra textbook lay open along with a sheet of numbers and formulas. There was also another open book with a sheet of paper tucked inside. He had forgotten how much homework normal teenagers get and that they had to be on time. Back at his old school, an occasional crisis often delays him. Not very many people at his current school knew that he's a mutant and it didn't matter much since he couldn't use his powers without another mutant closely. 

He flipped through the reading book almost absent-mindedly. He kept on glancing at the computer. He put down the book and wheeled to the computer. 

The screen lit up as he turned on the computer. As usual, he checked his e-mail and saw the usual letters from Angelo. There was another letter from an address he had never seen before. He clicked on the address's link. It read... 

To: everettX@hotmail.com Subject: I'm sorry. From:JohnE@email.com Date:March 15, 2000 

Dear Everett: 

I was looking for your addy for a long time. To be honest, I wasn't even sure if this is the right address. In case you don't know me, I'm the guy who crippled you. 

I'm sorry I didn't see you sooner but I couldn't face you. I mean, I know that you're a mutant. But, every night, I just dreamt of that day. I was just doing what everyone else was doing. I thought that mutants are indestructible. I was wrong. 

I never met another mutant before. At least one that I know was a mutant. Whenever the other students heard about what I did. Most of them actually applauded me. They knew that I crippled you and yet actually called me a hero. The others told me that I should be ashamed of myself. 

I escaped the jail sentence but I still have the probation. I attacked you and I got off scott free. I have nightmares every night about what happened. 

I'm sorry. Please reply to this. 

John Ellist 

_____________ 

Try email today! 

Ev blinked as he read and reread the letter. He scrolled up and down to make sure he read everything correctly. The phrase he kept on reading was, 'They knew that I crippled you and yet actually called me a hero.' The other phrase that gained his attention was 'I'm sorry. Please reply to this.' The phrases echoed in his mind as he stared at the keyboard. 

His body shook as tears started to come down his dark face. The rain outside of his window started to pour even harder. The drops started to echo through his room. 

"Everett?" a female voice asked from the closed door. 

"Damn it." He muttered as he shut off the screen, "I'm fine, Mom!" 

"You don't sound fine." Ida Thomas said as she entered the room, "Hungry?" She held out a tray of apples and oranges. 

"No thanks." Ev said as he looked away, "I'm not hungry." 

Ida nodded and put the tray on the drawer. "Are you sure? Fruit's good for you." 

Ev sighed as he went to the tray, picked up an apple, and started to bite into the red fruit. He tried not to scowl as he sank his white teeth in the crisp apple. He took a couple of bites when he saw that Ida was still sitting there. "Need anything?" he asked. 

"I was about to ask you." Ida said as she put her hands on her lap, "What's wrong?" 

Ev sighed as he put down the apple. "I got an e-mail from that guy who attacked me." He said as he turned on the screen to show the letter. 

Ida read the letter as she scrolled down. "Oh." She said as she held Ev in her arms. 

"I don't believe it. That guy stabbed me and he get to be a hero." Ev said as he looked down at his lower half. 

"I can't believe this." Ida said as she rubbed Ev's shoulders. 

"What can I do?" Ev asked, "I-I'm a cripple thanks to him." 

"I know and I hate him for that." Ida said, "He hurt you." 

"Mom, I don't want to hate him. It's my fault. I should've synched with Penance to make a force field or wait till Monet came close enough so I can be invulnerable." 

"You did nothing wrong." Ida said as she held him in her arms. 

"I know!" Ev snapped, "That's just it! I risked my... my fu- I mean my life for them and I get crippled! And now... he gets to be a hero for committing a crime. Damn it! I think... I think I want to see him dead." 

Ida hugged him closer as she silently prayed for help. "I know. But he does feel guilty for what he did. At least, he didn't like what he did." 

"Can you leave me alone?" Ev asked as he looked up at his mother. 

Ida looked down at her son. She could see more tears threatening to appear. She closed her eyes and nodded as she slowly let go. "Okay," she whispered as she gently kissed the top of Ev's head, "you need to write a reply to this soon." 

Ida stood up and let Ev go. Ev nodded and said, "Thanks." 

"You're welcome. Just eat the fruit." Ida said as she left. 

Ev stared at the screen as he bit into the unfinished apple. He finished the apple and toss the core away in the trash can. He stared at the screen as he picked up the orange and slowly peels away the outer layer and separates the individual slices. One by one, he ate the orange as he stared at the blank screen. 

tapped his keyboard. With shaking hands, Ev slowly began to type... 

To:JohnE@email.com Subject:re I'm Sorry From:everettX@hotmail.com Date:March 15, 2000 

Dear John: 

I don't hate you. I know that you don't expect those words from someone in my position. I know that you were scared when you attacked me. Others before have shunned me. I even got beaten up once because I'm black. 

I'm not bitter anymore. I'm fine now. I have my family and friends. I don't want to hate you because it will just continue the cycle of hate. I don't want to do that. 

I'm sorry that you feel so much guilt. It's okay. It just means that you are human. An insane man wouldn't feel so much guilt. 

I'm seeing some people to help me cope with this. I even know a couple of well-respected doctors who're seeing to me to help me regain my legs. 

I'm going to school and planning to go to college. Don't worry. I'm going on with my life. 

I wish the best of luck to you. 

Everett Thomas 

___________ 

Try some hotmail today! 

Everett clicked on the send button. He sighed in relief as he smiled to himself. The load was lifted off of his shoulders. He looked at the letters. He hasn't really replied to any since he came back home. 

He realized that the only reason he couldn't bear to communicate to his former teammates was because he felt somewhat inadequate. He had been getting more and more creative with other people's powers. With Jono's powers, he can fly. He could lift objects with Emma's mind. In his own way, he became one of the most powerful Generation X members on the team. Now, he's just a man in a wheelchair. 

He went back to the letter stacks and picked up the letter from Monet. He wheeled back to his keyboard and began to type a reply and an apology of his own. 

Fin 


End file.
